The Kirwan family’s thirteenth annual haunted house was also a first. For twelve Halloweens they have entertained thousands of French Valley residents with their haunting display, but for 2011 they moved their show to Menifee.

Since their relocation from French Valley to their new one-acre home in Menifee they had always intended to move their infamous haunted house along with the rest of their belongings.

While there wasn’t quite the same 1,000 strong turnout as in years past, about two hundred fifty scare seekers made it out over the three night run. Some loyal fans even sought out the new location and trekked down to Menifee for a scare.

On Saturday night the youngest Kirwan and his band rocked the house, performing Halloween inspired songs and cover hits. Altogether eight local bands performed twenty-minute sets all night long, nearly stealing the show.

Masked actors and chain saw wielding scarers abandoned their haunting stations to check out the garage band entertainment. Pizza Factory donated pizzas for all of the volunteers each night, as they have done every year now.

In looking for a local charity to support, Menifee 24/7 suggested the Community Cupboard. So in staying true to their tradition, the Kirwan family will generously be making a monetary donation from the admission proceeds to the Cupboard.In addition, they already have plans to incorporate a canned food drive into next years haunted house to benefit the Cupboard as well.

Kellen Kirwan said the weekend was successful in some ways and not so successful in others. Overall, despite the slow start, there were a lot of pluses to taking a chance and trying out the new location.

Notably, the Kirwan’s met a lot of their neighbors and as Kellen commented, “The best part really was interacting with our neighbors. Having the haunted house sort of brought the neighborhood together.”

Neighbors even offered suggestions and ideas for future haunted houses, already pledging their assistance for next year’s undertaking.

Although they were hoping to attract a larger crowd, the biggest success was the new friendships forged. Long after the decorations are torn down, the Kirwan’s are more than delighted to have nearby friends to share their abundance of fresh chicken eggs with.

When asked if they plan to continue again next year, in an utterly exhausted yet triumphant tone, Kellen remarks, “We’re tired, but we’re not done yet.”